The Balance V
by bearhug562000
Summary: It’s time for Armageddon. What fun! Yeah, right.
1. Prologue

The Balance V

Rating: R

Disclaimer: I don't own the Buffy and Angel characters, but the other characters and the plot are mine.

Summary: It's time for Armageddon. What fun! Yeah, right.

Special Note: This takes place immediately after the Balance IV.

* * *

The doors went flying off their hinges, one smashing through the library office window, sending shards of glass everywhere, and the other clocked Giles on the noggin, knocking him unconscious.

"Giles!" Buffy yelled. She sprang out of her chair and knelt to check on him.

Wesley immediately fainted.

"Wh-what are those things?!" Xander stammered.

"Trouble." Artemis replied.

There were at least five of the creatures standing in front of the doorway. They were all of a Lovecraftian or Tolkienish sort, with tentacles, claws, wings, multiple eyes and such. There were clearly more in the hallway and other parts of the building, as the screeches, roars, growling, and hissing could attest. There was a single human scream from another part of the building which was abruptly cut short, probably the unfortunate janitor.

Yells and cursing and bestial snarls broke out upstairs, signaling that their only other escape route was cut off.

"We need to get to the weapons." Helen whispered.

"They've got us cut off." Ares whispered back.

It was true. The original five creatures had positioned themselves in front of the book cage, and more of the monsters were pouring in through the doorway. There were simply too many to battle.

"What do we do?" Cordelia asked fearfully.

"Up the stairs. Slowly. No sudden movement." Bellona advised.

Apollo picked up Wesley, while Buffy picked up Giles. The beleaguered group made their way up the stairs, crunching on glass, and as they backed up them, all of a sudden more monsters magically appeared just where they were around the table!

"What the fuck?!" Zeus exclaimed.

"That about sums it up." Buffy responded apprehensively.

Unexpectedly the ground started quaking.

* * *

Elsewhere, Demona sat on the rooftop of City Hall, watching the "fun" in her energy globe.

"Don't you love cliffhangers, my friends?"

(Insert Buffy Credits and Ominous Music Here (DUM! DUM! DUM!))


	2. Chapter 1

As the ground continued to shake, the hideous creatures paused in their menacing advance, startled by the tremors.

"What's causing that rumbling?!" Willow yelled.

"Hello! California! Earthquake state!" Cordelia yelled back.

"More like Sunnydale: Hellmouth town!" Hera snapped at Cordelia. She gestured at the intensifying light under the library table, which started to grow upward. The light literally blasted through the table, smashing it to pieces, as it slowly started to progress in the direction of the roof.

That was enough for the monsters. They turned and ran (or skittered or oozed or undulated and so on, but that's beside the point, right?).

Athena and Faith and Diana emerged swiftly from the back room, startling the others. Diana was now sporting a nasty gash on her big arm.

"What the fuck is going o-? " Faith's question was cut short when she caught sight of the terrifying crimson light being emitted from the floor.

"Save the questions for later." Lilith replied. She jumped up, caught ahold of the window sill of the small window that led to the outside above the right staircase, and smashed the window with her fist. She jumped through the window, poked her head back through it, and ordered:

"Let's go. Hand me the unconscious first, then the wounded, then everyone else."

As they evacuated, the building began to shake even more violently. Lilith kept a careful watch on her surroundings as she pulled people through, but she needn't have worried. The disgusting critters were long gone, obviously frightened out of their wits. Once they were all through (Neil's friends literally forcing their way through), the roof of the school exploded outward and upward. They had escaped just in the nick of time.

As they ran from the school, another explosion caused them to turn and look.

Before their amazed eyes, the red light had formed into a beam which projected hundreds of feet into the sky, and stopped at that point, and then a wave of energy spread from it covering the sky in its wake with a pulsating barrier of power.

"What the hell is that?" Buffy breathed.

"The bitch is cutting us off." Athena snarled.

"A force field." Xander said in disbelief.

"If that's true, it has to be covering the whole town!" Helen said, daunted despite herself for a moment.

"She never displayed this kind of power before!" Neptune yelled.

"How the fuck is she pulling it off?!" Hera growled.

"Neil." Diana answered simply, as she gazed up at the sky.

They looked at Diana in incredulity, then back at the awe-inspiring phenomenon.

Buffy abruptly looked down at the unconscious Giles, who was now bleeding quite profusely from his injured forehead.

"We need to get Giles to a hospital." Buffy announced firmly.

"We might want to get a helicopter first." Willow commented somberly.

"Huh?" Buffy said.

Willow nodded at something behind her, and everyone turned to look.

The streets of Sunnydale had become a battleground.

* * *

Demona gazed down at the chaos as various sirens and alarms went off.

And chortled, her satanic voice carrying over the winds.

* * *

Angel barely dodged a blow from the scabby monstrosity he was battling and retaliated with a one-two combo to the jaw, sending it staggering back. It snarled angrily and tried to take his head off with its razor-sharp claws. He jumped back, and as it advanced, he sprang forward and broke its burly neck with one sharp twist.

"One down, ten billion to go." Angel said wearily.

* * *

The frightened man ran as fast as he could and dodged around a corner, only to confront a dead end. He quickly spun on his heels only to come face to bumpy face with his pursuer: a vampire.

The vampire grabbed his victim and prepared to feast when they heard rumbling and hissing above them. They looked up.

Above them in the alley, moving down the walls leisurely, were several of Demona's creations. They regarded both of them hungrily.

"Make you a deal." The would-be victim said to the vampire.

"What's that?" the vampire asked.

"I run one way, you run the other, and we pick this up another night. I'll run slower next time, promise. Deal?"

The vampire thought about it quickly, and then said:

"Deal."

The vampire released his prey, they both shook hands on it, and then they both darted out of the alley and fled in opposite directions.

Furious at their prey escaping, the monsters surged out of the alley and split up to chase them down.

* * *

"See anything?" Willow whispered to Xander who was kneeling and peering around the corner of the alley they were sneaking down.

Xander was about to reply when he heard frantic screaming. Willow peeked around the corner herself when she heard the terrified cries.

And they both witnessed a frightened vamp run past, about 30 to 40 feet away, with three of Demona's creatures in ravenous pursuit.

As they watched, the chase continued out of their view. They kept staring until someone clutched their shoulders and they jumped like guilty schoolchildren.

"What was that screaming?" Helen asked, looking down at them questioningly.

"Oh, nothing important." Willow replied, a bit too straight-faced.

"Just someone's TV up too loud." Xander added, also absurdly deadpan.

Helen seemed doubtful at their responses, but went back down to the other end of the alley.

Willow and Xander looked at each other.

"Poetic justice?"

"Yes, ma'am."

* * *

Several alleys later…

"How are we going to get past this?" Helen gestured at the raging battle going all around them, from one end of Market Street to the other.

The others were pondering the same thing.

"Raging battle" was probably too mild of a description. Citizens, police, soldiers, and monsters of every breed by the dozens were battling the loathsome invaders that had suddenly appeared in their midst. A blob-like monster slimed and devoured its way through several soldiers and residents before being obliterated by a volley of Molotov cocktails. It died screaming. An Apache attack copter flew overhead and was obliterated by two indescribable airborne monstrosities emitting energy rays from their singular eyes. As they flew by the alley, one was struck by a shoulder-launched SAM and blew up messily, spraying protoplasmic matter far and wide while the other was shot down by heavy machine gun fire. Everyone ducked back into the alley fully to avoid the splatter.

"Oh my god." Buffy whispered, disbelieving the growing carnage unfolding before her green eyes.

"Why did we move here? I didn't want to move here!" Dawn whined.

"I don't know. We'll almost certainly get wasted if we try to run through this." Ares answered thoughtfully in response to Helen's query.

"Maybe if we whined our way through?" Hera muttered.

"Let's pull back." Bellona ordered.

No one argued as they pulled back into the previous street.

"Maybe if we tried-"Buffy started.

"Hold that thought." Zeus suggested.

"We're about to be attacked."

* * *

On the other side of the beleaguered city, the terrified couple with the wailing infant ran as hard as they could.

Until the husband tripped and fell on his face, knocking himself unconscious, and his wife ran to him, shaking him frantically with her free hand.

"Sam, you've got to get u-"

A delighted snarl made her look up.

Two spider-like… _things_…were converging on her and her family. Each one had several human faces on top of tentacles, extending from their front. The "faces" hissed gleefully as they approached.

"God…please…no." the mother murmured fearfully.

They were a few steps away when a man in black suddenly landed in front of them, a fire axe in hand. The creatures skittered back, startled.

But they weren't allowed the chance to recover. With a few vicious swings of his axe, they lay in twitching pieces, which soon ceased.

"How can I ever repay you?!" the grateful mother asked the dashing stranger.

He turned to her, bloody axe in hand.

"You can die, luv." Spike replied ominously.

* * *

"Holy shit…" Faith said.

There was literally a squadron of those flying things from earlier heading in their direction, their cyclopean eyes glowing malevolently.

"They're going to strafe us. Run. Now." Athena urged.

Athena didn't need to tell them twice (or even once). They high-tailed it as the swiftly moving entities started taking potshots at them with their beams, blowing holes in the road, making small explosions which rained dust on them.

"Great! I'm never going to get this out of my hair!" Cordelia yelled.

"Will you shut up?!" Hera screamed at her.

Athena ran as fast as she could, but her injured leg was slowing her down. Faith noticed.

"Athena!" Faith yelled. She halted and ran back for her girlfriend, but she didn't need to bother. Hera was closer and grabbed Athena around her waist and put her over her heavily muscled shoulder.

"Oh, I didn't know you cared, Harry." Athena purred.

"Shut up, girl." Hera said calmly.

As they raced down the road, dodging wildly, it soon became apparent that they were missing a member of their group.

"Where's Willow?!" Xander cried, looking around.

Oz spotted her, fading fast and dropping behind the rest of the pack, she nearly tripped but fortunately regained her balance. To Oz's horror, three of their disgusting pursuers were focusing on her. Their bolts of pinkish energy came closer and closer to the nearly exhausted hacker. For Oz, the world narrowed. Nothing existed except her frightened face.

Oz ran as fast as he could. As he approached, Willow fell to her knees. Oz reached her and helped her up.

"Running. Too much running for Willow." The redhead gasped.

Hearing a blood-chilling shriek, they witnessed Willow's hunters swoop towards them, their eyes shimmering with barely controlled power.

They froze.

And suddenly a manhole cover flew over their heads and lodged itself in the lead creature's eye. It howled in astonished agony as it jetted backwards and smacked against its wingmates, sending them into a spinning crash (ouch).

"Bullseye." Bellona smiled grimly.

Oz and Willow didn't get a chance to react to Bellona's supreme accuracy because Neptune ran up to them, slung them over his massive shoulders, and took off with them.

Cordelia was cursing her high heels when she found herself suddenly being cradle-carried. She relaxed when she saw who it was.

"Thanks." Cordelia said, surprised.

"No problem." Zeus replied.

As they ran, Cordelia saw Xander being carried by Artemis and Joyce and Dawn being carried by Taryn. Obviously, the "normal people" were slowing down the desperate flight.

Even with three of their number dispatched, they were still too many monster energy blasts for comfort, zinging over their heads and impacting around them, nearer and nearer, until several blasted the ground in front of them, sending them sprawling.

"Fuck." Apollo groaned.

With their doom bearing down on them, their assailants suddenly exploded.

"What in the world?!" Helen exclaimed.

"Cavalry arrived blowing their bugles." Buffy responded, pointing at their saviors.

A squadron of Apaches flew by, cannons blazing, the high velocity rounds downing the last monster as they ripped through its nauseating form. It fell to the road with a splat, quivered, and lay still.

Their job done, the Apaches flew off to another part of the escalating conflict.

"It's too dangerous out here, we need to find shelter. And the duh award of the year goes to…" Xander pointed at himself, still being carried by Artemis.

"Yes." Diana stated matter of factly, "But none of these structures along this road are appropriate. They are only houses, and in this sort of conflict will be ruined promptly."

"You're not wrong." Bellona observed, evaluating their laughable potential shelters with a critical eye.

"We can't go far in town to find it, especially after everything we've seen. Nearly every street is like the one we just saw, a war zone." Apollo added.

"From the clamor, this street will turn out to be indistinguishable from the others we have observed very shortly. The conflict is imminently forthcoming onto this lane." Lilith cautioned.

"I know a place." Athena said suddenly.

"Where?" Willow asked.

"Neil's house. It's like a fucking fortress, and on the very edge of town. It's really remote." Athena responded.

"Not to mention an assload of weapons and supplies, like medical, it's seriously stocked." Faith supplemented.

"Neil has a house?" Buffy asked in disbelief.

"Does he have a swimming pool too? I guess that's not really important." Willow laughed nervously.

"If he has a stash of 1960's and 1970's rock records, I'm moving in." Oz said calmly.

"Hello? Paging clueless people? Safety first, questions and surprise later?" Cordelia snapped.

"Going to have to go with the bratty cheerleader here." Hera commented.

"I'm going to ignore you!" Cordelia hissed.

"Would you screech a little louder?" Bellona said sourly.

Everyone got to their feet, and Taryn asked, "Which way?"

"Just follow the Slayer hotter than the other Slayer." Faith replied.

As they melted into the shadows, Buffy retorted:

"So we're supposed to be following me?"

"Keep tellin' yourself that B."

* * *

"Now where could you be, my lovelies? Hmm?" Demona mused, as she stared into her energy ball.

"I know you're there, but you seem to be not in attendance at school, at home, or anywhere. Now how ever could that be, I wonder?"

Scowling, she focused harder and was troubled when the vibrant ball of light suddenly vanished without her permission.

Demona cocked her head and an almost slithering smile crossed her lips. She looked at the hand that had held the orb.

"Are you endeavoring to intervene?"

Sniggering, she sat on her throne, a throne that pulsed with unholy vitality.

"There is nowhere for them to depart, my love. I have all the time in my world to locate them."

An unexpected roar startled Demona and her sentinels. They looked around and saw…nothing.

Nothing…

* * *

The glowing light from Sunnydale High throbbed and hummed with malevolent energy, its sinister and incessant sound the only one in the area. The nearby battle had ceased. From the amount of bodies and destruction, it was difficult to say who achieved any degree of victory.

Then a new sound emerged, that of stumbling feet.

Angel emerged into the light cast by the energy barrier's beam and sank by one of the trees in the yard. His pale skin covered with bruises and deep lacerations, which made him grit his teeth as he sat. His dark eyes followed the beam stabbing upwards into the darkened heavens.

Can't just sit here. Must find Buffy. The vampire thought.

As he arose and shuffled towards the school, he began to realize through the pained haze of his wounds the sad state of the school building. The school literally had cracks running up and down the walls, and the entire roof was gone. It appeared as though it would crumble at not even a moment's notice.

Undaunted, he entered the building and searched it from top to bottom. Empty. He found nothing except the source of the beam, which was emerging from the Hellmouth. The energies it was radiating made it too dangerous to enter the library, as they occasionally crackled and arced around the room with unpredictable frequency.

Angel went through one of the side doors and smelled a familiar scent.

He followed Buffy's distinctive smell to the broken library window and knelt down, picking up a shard of glass.

You got away, but then where did you go?

Angel followed his nose north, but then paused. For some reason, she had doubled back. And now he smelled blood. Giles's blood.

Angel hurried as fast as he was able in his battered condition.


	3. Chapter 2

"How much further, Faith?" Buffy asked.

"Not much farther." The dark Slayer answered.

"You weren't joking about it being remote, were you, Athena?" Helen asked pointedly.

"Nope." Athena answered, now being carried fireman style.

As they came over a small wooded hill, Faith hurried to the top and waited until they had reached the top as well.

"There it is." Faith pointed.

The others (except Athena, of course) were amazed at the spectacular sight which greeted them.

Before their widened eyes, stood a massive structure in the distance, so enormous it was impossible to miss even on the dark plain it towered over. Oddly, the brilliant glow coming from Demona's barrier seemed to be swallowed up by the foreboding structure, making it even more eerie. However, it seemed to possess its very own sinister dim radiance, allowing for some discernment of details. It was surrounded by huge concrete walls, hundreds of feet high, with a massive gate of steel, studded with iron, set into the walls and which was nearly as tall as the walls themselves. Athena hadn't been kidding about the fortress part.

As they moved toward it in astonished awe, its staggering scale became even more apparent as it loomed over them.

"I thought he bought a house, not the ancient city of Sparta." Helen said, gazing up at the walls.

"Tell me about it, hun." Neptune commented.

"Impressive." Lilith observed quietly.

"Well, you have a gift for understatement." Buffy said cattily. Lilith let that pass for the moment.

"Neil doesn't screw around when it comes to fucking fortresses. Jesus." Ares said.

"Heard that. Look at the size of this fucker." Zeus added.

"How can we get in?" Willow wondered.

"We have to climb." Athena answered.

She was given numerous "you're full of shit" glares, except from Faith.

"Funny, big girl, funny." Faith chuckled, and pulled a remote control, pointed it at the gates, and pressed a button.

The gates rumbled open, facing inward, and as the group walked all the way through, treading over the concrete cobbled street, Faith pointed the remote over her shoulder, pressed another button, and they rumbled shut. Walking past what appeared to be a small village with numerous one and two-story buildings at least a couple thousand feet from the gates, they were soon confronted by another spectacular sight: Neil's home.

"Whoa!" Xander said, awed.

"You have to be fucking kidding me. Damn." Bellona said.

"Home" and "house" didn't justify it. It was more like a castle, complete with battlements and very few windows, and those windows were barred with metal rods. The immense main door was made of steel reinforced oak, at least several inches thick. The entire structure was at least ten stories high, if not taller, it was almost as if it could touch the very heavens themselves. It seemed to be brooding, its massive concrete body glaring down at them.

"Cell phones are one thing, but how did he afford this?!" Buffy exclaimed.

"Looks like your dream of tying the knot to somebody loaded is gonna come true." Dawn said.

"Ha-ha, Dawn." Buffy grumbled.

"Neil has another neat trick he found out about only a month ago. Tell ya all about it inside." Faith offered.

She activated her remote, and what they thought was a main door lowered to the ground, a drawbridge, spanning a water-filled moat they hadn't seen before. As they crossed it, Faith opened the portcullis, and they went inside, closing the drawbridge and portcullis behind them.

* * *

As the barrier shone brightly overhead, a lonely figure moved through the darkness.

* * *

As they walked through the courtyard, gazing around, Faith pointed at a thick door ahead.

"Through here, this is the main entrance; it leads to the supplies, food, medicine, weapons, you name it."

Walking down the hall from the reclosed main entrance door, they entered an immense banquet hall, which had several hall entrances leading out from it and two sets of stairs, one going up and one down, and after passing through that, they entered a small chamber and walked up a set of stairs and ended up in a series of lavish bedrooms. Each bedroom had one barred window present, with wooden closeable shutters.

Apollo and Buffy carefully laid Wesley and Giles in the last of the bedrooms on one of the sumptuous beds, and as they studied their surroundings, Faith emerged from a side room with a medical kit in hand and gave it to Helen, who took it and tended to Giles' head wound.

"Will he be alright?" Buffy asked Helen tentatively.

"He has a concussion, but not too severe, fortunately. He was lucky." Helen answered after examining him for a few minutes.

Everyone breathed a very audible sigh of relief.

"Good." Oz said.

"The weapons and food are downstairs." Faith said.

"Speaking of which, I'm starved." Xander said.

"Well, what a surprise!" Cordelia commented.

"Do you two ever quit bitching at each other?" Hera snapped at them.

"No." Cordelia replied cattily, "So why don't you go f-"

"And with that, let's go downstairs to fix a sandwich." Xander said soothingly, pulling Cordy out of the room.

The two teens argued with each other all the way down the stairs.

"Useless brat." Hera grumbled to herself.

"Let's review the weapons, Faith." Diana said to Faith.

"Definitely ready for the weapons." Taryn commented.

"Right this way, madams." Faith said, bowing.

As they walked back out through the bedrooms, Hera dumped Athena on the bed in the last bedroom a bit roughly.

"Hello, injured woman here?" Athena complained.

Hera used her left hand to make a talky motion and kept walking.

"Stay, daughter." Diana said sternly.

Athena raised her hands in surrender and replied: "I'm staying."

She flopped fully onto the bed.

"Need anything, babe?" Faith asked.

"Dinner would be wonderful baby." Athena sighed.

"Coming right up." Faith promised with a smirk and a pointing of her two index fingers, rotating her wrists outward and hands mostly open.

Artemis, bringing up the rear with med-kit in hand, got to play nursemaid (try not to think anything kinky, now) to Athena. Athena smirked at Artemis.

Without looking up, Artemis said, "Don't even think about it."

"Think about what?"

* * *

The dark figure paused at the edge of the woods, staring at the ominously immense structure.

"Ok. I didn't know I would have to break into a fort." Angel muttered to himself.

* * *

"And here's the armory. Well, one of. "

"Armory isn't enough of a description, Faith." Buffy replied.

The immense room, hundreds of square feet and hundreds of feet in height, was literally top to bottom filled with arms, from ancient to modern of every sort. There was even armor and shields, ancient to modern as well. And explosives.

As they walked along, gazing at the beautiful displays of weaponry, Ares pulled a firearm from the wall and studied it.

"An AK-74?! Shit. Does he have a Leopard 2 in the basement?" Ares said.

"A what?" Buffy asked.

"It's a German tank." Zeus explained.

"Oh. Ooh, Such a totally pretty crossbow! Come to Mommy! Such a good boy! Yes you are! Yes you are!"

Buffy picked the Renaissance crossbow up and examined it.

Neil's friends gave each other a glance, and Hera made a screwball motion with her finger.

"Anyhow, there's enough weaponry here to equip the whole town." Bellona said thoughtfully.

"True, but there's no way to get it to them." Diana commented.

"Unfortunately, that's correct. There are no vehicles here, or are there?" Bellona said. She looked at Faith.

"Nope. Demona moved too fast, I guess. Got Neil in the middle of…" She paused, noting Buffy's sorrowful expression which hardened. She nocked a bullet in the crossbow, pulled the ammo pouch off the wall, and left. Willow and the other Scoobies chased after her.

"Shit. Me and my big-ass mouth." Faith groaned.

Diana put her hand on Faith's shoulder and squeezed it gently. Faith smiled faintly.

"Sight-seeing's over." Ares said.

"Time to go to work." Bellona stated flatly.

They began collecting and loading weapons. Apollo pulled a huge elephant gun from the racks.

"That'll work."

* * *

"Where did Buffy go?" Willow asked frantically.

"I think I saw her go up here." Oz replied.

Running up a set of stairs and onto the roof of one of the enormous battlements, they finally spotted her, staring at the sky, her crossbow and pouch lying next to her. The barrier flickered overhead ominously. It seemed to mock them somehow with the beauty of its malevolence.

Willow suddenly spoke.

"Are you okay, Buffy?" Willow asked worriedly.

"What happened to the moon?" Buffy asked.

"What, Buffster?" Xander replied.

"Is this a trick question?" Cordelia asked, baffled.

"There was a full moon, and now it's vanished, yet the sky's cloudless. Weird."

"You sure you feel okay, Buffy?" Xander asked.

"Oh, I'm great. My boyfriend to be is in the grasp of his dark side, which has a force field erected over the town, an army sacking the place, and Giles is hurt. Any more silly questions?"

"Well, it could be worse." Willow said lamely.

Buffy turned and gave her a doubtful look.

"Okay, then. It couldn't be worse." Willow amended swiftly.

Buffy turned away and looked back at the dark sky.

"For the first time, I feel truly helpless."

The others looked at each other, uneasily.

"I need time to think."

"Ok, Buff. Whatever you need." Xander responded soothingly.

They walked back down the stairs somewhat forlornly.

As Buffy watched, she heard a familiar voice.

"It's going to be alright."

Spinning quickly, she looked around wildly.

"Neil…?"

Helen suddenly appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Buffy, Giles is awake. He's asking for you."

Buffy looked at her.

"Okay. Did you…? Forget it. Never mind."

Buffy picked her weapon and ammo pouch up, and headed downstairs, passing the curious Helen quickly.

As she turned to follow the blonde Slayer, she could have sworn someone brushed the top of her hand with their fingers.

But there was no one to be seen…

* * *

Faith was giving Athena a sandwich from a plate of sandwiches when Buffy rushed by in a hurry, startling them.

"Where is she off to in such a hurry?" Faith asked Athena.

"Giles is awake."

"Ah."

Faith sat at the foot of the bed.

Athena watched her carefully. Was that a tear in Faith's eye?

"Some Slayer I am."

"Come again?"

"Buffy's been holdin' her shit together, and here I am with something in my fuckin' eye."

Faith looked at her girlfriend.

"I couldn't even keep you from gettin' hurt."

Athena's expression was unreadable.

"You led everybody here just fine."

"So could you."

She glanced down at Athena's bandaged leg.

"Well, maybe not."

Faith stared off into space.

"B's the real Vampire Slayer."

Athena sat up and swung her legs off the bed.

Faith turned to her in alarm.

"What are yo-."

"Don't."

"What?" Faith almost whispered.

"You think I'm going to let you tear yourself down? Get it through your pretty Boston head, YOU are the Slayer, not Buffy, not Kendra, not Mary Jane from Podunk, YOU. And no one else, comprende?"

"But-"

"I don't want to hear any "buts", Faith. The Slayer line runs THROUGH YOU. Nobody else. You. Not her."

Athena took Faith's head in her large and powerful hands, making the girl look her in the eyes.

"Do you understand me?"

The dark Slayer shivered at the intensity in Athena's blue eyes.

"Y-yeah." Faith stammered.

"Good."

Athena released Faith's head and put her heavily muscled arm around the girl's slim body.

"Now let's eat."

Helen chose that moment to stroll in. She spotted them.

"Are you two okay?"

"Sure." Faith said softly.

"Yeah." Athena replied.

"Okay, I don't believe you, but I'm going to pretend I do. Have you felt or seen anything…weird?"

That made them look up at her.

"Define weird." Athena asked pointedly.

"I had an invisible someone brush the top of my hand with their fingers, and Buffy was acting oddly upstairs, she was looking all around like someone had spoke to her, but no one was up there."

"Neil never said nothin' about the castle being haunted." Faith said thoughtfully.

"Haven't experienced a thing, honestly." Athena said.

"Hmm." Helen replied, having her thoughtful face on.

She walked into the next room.

Athena and Faith shrugged and began munching.

* * *

As Buffy entered, Giles and Artemis looked up.

"Giles!" Buffy cried. She dropped her bow and ammo and ran to her Watcher and hugged him fiercely.

"Easy on the ribs, please?" Giles pleaded.

"Ooh! Sorry!" an embarrassed Buffy replied. She released him and stood back.

"Did you see Diana anywhere?" Artemis asked Buffy.

"She was down in one of the armories on the basement level when I saw her last."

"Thanks."

Artemis chose that moment to make her exit, first aid kit in hand, leaving Giles and Buffy alone except for the unconscious Wesley.

"How are you feeling, aside from the obviously painfully concussion?"

"I could be worse, I suppose."

He looked around.

"Um, we seem to be in a castle."

"Yeah, it's Neil's. Cool huh?"

Buffy paused for a moment, a dour expression on her face.

Giles took her hand and squeezed it gently.

He suddenly spoke.

"Wait, did you say this castle was Neil's?"

* * *

Diana sat down the last of the prepared weapons on the immense and lengthy banquet table and sensed a presence behind her. She whirled on the presence with a right cross only to have her fist seized.

"Still trying to prove you're better than me? You know that's a lost cause." Artemis smirked.

"If that's what you wish to believe." Diana smiled in reply.

Diana turned back to the table, and Artemis withdrew some bandages from the first-aid kit she brought with her and began bandaging Diana's painful looking wound she had sustained in the library. As Artemis worked, Diana fussed over the prepared weaponry, making last-minute inspections.

It continued this way for a few moments.

"I wonder what she did to him." Artemis asked out of the blue.

Diana turned her head and regarded Artemis for a moment, then turned away.

"It's alright to speak about it, Di."

The other woman was silent.

"I know you still love him."

Diana's body tensed.

"I'm okay with that."

Artemis finished with her dressing and stepped back.

"Di?"

Diana turned to face her.

Long moments passed.

Artemis hugged Diana tenderly and unexpectedly.

Diana's body became rigid.

"Please don't Artemis."

The redhead released her and stepped back in surprise.

And then stared.

Was that a hint of a tear in her girlfriend's eye?

Diana took Artemis' hands in her own and kissed her lips gently.

"I can't talk about this now." Diana whispered.

"Okay."

Artemis walked back to the entrance by which she entered, then paused and looked back at Diana, who was still watching her.

"You know I'll always be here."

"I know."

Diana observed her girlfriend taking her leave before returning to her task.

"You know I'll always be here, beloved."

That made Diana look up **quickly. **

But she was alone.

* * *

As everyone else (except Diana and Wesley of course) filed into the banquet hall, they noted the impressive amount of weaponry assembled on the table.

"Did we ready that many? Jesus. I thought we were going a little overboard, but damn." Zeus commented.

"Better to be over prepared than under prepared, I always say." Athena replied.

"You never say that." Helen remarked.

"I do now." Athena chuckled.

Helen just made a face and turned away.

"Well, well, well, an M-16! Boy, is this a beut!" Xander said, lifting the rifle from the table.

"Careful, Xand." Willow cautioned.

"Actually, they turned out to be all civilian knock-offs, including the "AK-74" I grabbed earlier." Ares said to Xander.

"As long as it makes them roll over and play dead, it's all good." Xander replied.

"Fair enough." Ares said.

Joyce and Dawn chose that moment to enter with trays of food.

"Peanut butter! Food of the gods!" Xander exclaimed.

He took a sandwich and chewed noisily.

"We still haven't spoken about our course of action." Diana said. She noticed Giles entering the room and walked over to him.

"You still need rest, Rupert."

"I'm alright, just a little woozy, I promise." Giles assured her.

"I believe you're just being obdurate." Diana said softly.

"Well, I've often been accused of that." Giles smiled thinly.

He lowered himself into a chair with Diana watching him carefully.

"What does "obdurate" mean?" Faith asked Athena.

"Stubborn, like me. Mom likes her fancy talk." Athena answered.

Diana swatted at her daughter.

"Ow. Please stop. The pain." Athena retorted sardonically.

"Please be serious, daughter."

"Alright, Mommy." Athena responded in a child-like voice which made Faith smirk.

Sighing, Diana turned to the others.

"Everyone's attention please?" Diana said.

"Yes, let's focus on what we plan to do about the Apocalypse, please?" Giles chimed in. He directed this at Buffy, Xander, and Willow who were pigging out on the food trays. Cordelia looked on in mounting disgust. Oz bravely snuck his hand in and snagged his own sandwich.

"Sorry Giles." Buffy replied, her mouth full of peanut butter and jelly goodness.

"I'm not sure I want a sandwich now." Dawn grimaced.

Joyce looked at Neil's friends.

"Aren't you getting hungry?"

"I think we lost our appetite." Apollo replied.

"B doin' her best impression of a monkey is what did it for me." Faith commented, nauseated.

Buffy tried to counterattack with a verbal thrust, but her mouth was too full.

"Okay, at any rate, we need intelligence before we start launching an offensive." Artemis said.

"Um, huh?" Willow said.

"She's talking about scouting out the enemy." Bellona explained.

"Oh. Okay."

"What do you have in mind?" Giles asked Artemis.

"Two-person recon mission. There was a reserve of cell phones here, so the two scouts should each take one, and use those to maintain contact with everyone here."

"We had better decide our destination first." Ares suggested.

"Already thought of that. The center of Sunnydale seemed to be where fighting is the heaviest, around City Hall, so that's the best place to start looking for Demona. If she's leading her troops directly, it makes sense she would probably be there. It's not like she has advanced Command and Control or anything."

"Probably not. Good plan. I'll be quiet now." Ares said.

"She does seem more interested in blowing up the army's stuff than taking it." Buffy said.

"I don't think we need the ex-cheerleader contribution." Athena said disagreeably.

Buffy glared.

"Why are you always riding me?!" Buffy snapped.

"You wish I would ride you."

"Athena, sit down and be quiet." Diana said sharply.

Athena gave Diana a steely look.

"I'll say whatever the fuck I want to sa-"

"**SIT**!!!"

Faith suddenly pulled out a chair, almost threw herself into it, and scooted it up to the table as quickly as possible, and put her hands on the table and folded them. She glanced at all of them and looked at Diana nervously before looking down at the table, unwilling to meet anyone's eyes.

They all stared at her. None of them had ever seen Faith so…cowed.

Diana looked at Athena sternly.

Athena sat slowly beside Faith, glowered at her mother, but said nothing further.

"I'm guessing you want to be on the recon mission." Bellona said at last.

"Yeah." Artemis responded.

"Shit. If you've got the cunt to do it, so do I." Hera said boldly.

"Well, that settles that." Taryn said quietly.

"There are battles all over the place, how are you going to sneak downtown?" Willow inquired.

"We better not say." Taryn said warningly. She used her eyes to look around without moving her head.

Willow got the message and fell silent.

Artemis knelt down and pulled a box of cell phones out from under the table and sat it on a clear spot.

"All the phones are already programmed with all the necessary telephone numbers, and set to vibrate instead of ring, so it's alright to call, but don't be alarmed if we don't answer immediately. We might be in a sticky situation."

Artemis picked up a cell phone, dagger, and pistol from the table, and Hera did likewise.

"Be careful. There is no telling how badly the situation in town may have become." Giles warned.

The two scouts-to-be nodded gravely.

"Stay safe." Ares said, looking meaningfully at Hera.

Hera smirked at her boyfriend.

"Don't I always, big boy?"

As Artemis and Hera started walking up the stairs, Diana said softly:

"May the fates smile on you."

Diana's red-headed girlfriend looked at her and gave her the peace sign.

They ascended out of view.

* * *

"Now here comes the fun part." Xander said.

"What fun? Where is the fun? Is it hiding?" Cordelia asked.

"He's talking about the waiting part." Dawn translated.

"Let's hope Demona doesn't know they're coming." Willow commented somewhat fretfully.

As they talked, Willow noticed Oz wasn't beside her. She looked around and saw him standing by one of the barred windows, peering out.

"What's wrong, Oz?" Willow asked, moving to stand beside him.

Oz pointed wordlessly.

There was a shadow moving on the cobbled street.


	4. Chapter 3

Angel studied the castle carefully. There were no handholds in its structure, and the moat was too wide to jump across even for him, never mind the drawbridge was up.

As the ensouled vampire pondered his options (or lack of such), the drawbridge suddenly opened with a clank and several huge people walked out, rifles trained on him. When they saw who he was, they relaxed.

Until Xander ran out and saw Angel.

* * *

The once-beautiful town of Sunnydale, California was engulfed in flames. If anything, the fighting had become **more** intense, with the crack of gunfire and the screams of the dying creating a deadly performance through the night.

Above all this, two bats flapped their large leathery wings.

The pair of bats swooped down and landed on the roof of a particularly tall and abandoned building and transformed into two huge Amazonian women who quickly took cover behind some rusting junk.

They both took out a pair of binoculars and surveyed the scene.

"We couldn't get through this shit last time, now it's fucking escalated." Hera commented to Artemis.

"Looks like…huh. The center part of town seems quiet from what I can tell."

Hera used her field glasses to examine that area intently.

"Guess so…what the fuck is that?!"

"What?"

"Check out the exact center, Red."

Artemis looked.

"Looks like a weird-ass structure of some kind, like a pyramid… but organic. A fortress? A command post?"

"Whatever the fuck it is, some of her critters are herding people into it."

"I'm seeing that."

Artemis put her binoculars down and crouched behind the junk. She pulled out her phone and started dialing.

* * *

The phone rang shrilly, and Ares snatched it up at the second ring. Diana looked up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's me."

"Hey. So what's happening?"

"The fighting has intensified, except in the center of town. It appears Demona built herself a little palace of her own near City Hall, and it's growing. It seems to throb in tune with the barrier. Maybe if we can take it out, the shield will go."

"Can you get any closer?"

"No. There are too damn many of her creatures around. Even if we shapechanged and snuck in, they'd spot us for sure-"

Ares suddenly heard a distant explosion.

"What the hell was that?"

"The army's counterattacking; they're drawing off the monsters from her fort or whatever it is, so we're moving in and signing off."

"Stay safe."

"I will."

They both hung up.

"Well?" Diana asked efficiently.

Before he could respond, a strident quarrel broke out downstairs.

Diana nodded at Ares and ran down to see what was occurring.

* * *

"I'm going to stake him right now!" Xander yelled, enraged.

"Quiet, boy." Bellona growled.

Xander backed off a little, still glaring at the battered Angel.

"What the bloody hell is happening in here?" Giles yelled as he ran into the courtyard, Buffy on his heels. They both froze when they saw Angel.

"You…" Giles whispered.

Angel… No… Buffy thought.

Slowly moving toward the vampire, Giles balled his hands into fists, before running at him full-out. Ripper had come out to play once more.

Before Giles could go more than a few steps, Buffy had caught up to him and reverse-bearhugged him off his feet, easily restraining him.

"Put me down this instant, Buffy." Giles ordered in a deadly tone.

"Not until you calm down." Buffy responded tightly.

Giles turned his head and looked at his Slayer.

Her eyes betrayed her.

"You knew, didn't you?" the Watcher whispered.

Buffy opened her mouth to reply but then closed it. She knew she had been caught.

Xander stared, his outrage building.

Buffy saw the disappointment and anger in Giles' features. She looked at Xander, at his hot fury at her betrayal. At Angel, who stared at her with sorrow and anguish in his dark eyes, an apology on his lips. She sensed the newly-arrived Willow, Dawn, Oz, and Cordelia, who were reeling in silent shock, sensed Neil's friends, who were looking on solemnly, and drew breath to speak.

"I knew."

* * *

Diana, Athena, and Faith arrived as Buffy spoke those two fateful words.

* * *

"You stupid little bitch." Cordelia stated flatly.

Buffy set Giles down and faced the cheerleader. She said nothing.

"Buffy…Why?" Willow asked her best friend softly.

Before Buffy could reply, Xander threw his two cents in (or should that be a hundred?).

"How could you do this to us?!" Xander demanded.

Joyce chose that time to make her own entrance.

"What's-"Joyce began, and then she spotted Angel. Her eyes widened, and she immediately looked at Buffy accusingly.

"Buffy." Joyce said sternly.

"I'm sorry." Buffy said quietly.

"Sorry?! You think that makes up for the hell you've put us through?! Disappearing for months, and now this?!" Xander almost screamed.

"You don't know what I was going through!" Buffy screamed back.

"No, I'm sorry I didn't, Miss Little Self-Absorbed, but that doesn't give you the right to pull this shit!" Xander retorted loudly.

"Xander! Buffy! Please don't!" Willow yelled frantically.

"That's enough!" Giles yelled.

Apparently it wasn't, because it soon degenerated into a shouting match between all four of them.

"Now the shit's really hitting the fan." Dawn muttered.

"Heard that." Oz agreed. He walked over to try to defuse the argument.

Cordelia walked over to the argument too, but only to make it worse.

"Why are you so damn stupid?!" Cordelia screamed at Buffy.

"Hello! Pot calling kettle black!" Buffy fired back.

While this was going on, Helen walked over the injured vampire and helped him to sit on the ground, which caught everyone's attention.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Xander shouted at Helen.

"He's injured, Xander." Helen said sternly.

"You don't help murderers, no matter how in-"

"I think you better back off kid." Neptune growled.

Buffy instinctively stepped in front of Xander, which only annoyed Xander further.

"I don't need a traitor's protection!" Xander snapped, which made Buffy whirl on him.

"Then go to hell Xander!"

As the fight escalated, Faith's eyes widened and she looked at Athena and Diana.

"Oh my god, you knew about Angel, didn't you?"

"Yeah." Athena said.

"And I'm going to tell you exactly why we said nothing."

Athena took Faith's hand and walked off with her to a more private place.

Diana, for her part looked at Lilith and the others, who nodded, and waded in to break it up.

* * *

Athena and Faith came into the banquet hall and sat down. Faith looked at her girlfriend expectantly.

Athena ran her fingers over Faith's knuckles, and said: "It was to avoid what's happening now."

"The big fight scene? I think I get that, but didn't they deserve to be told?"

"They did, but it wasn't our part to tell them. It was Buffy's part."

Another look of realization came over Faith's face.

"He was upstairs when the machines were rebellin', wasn't he?"

"Yes siree."

"But why wouldn't you tell me?"

"No reason to baby, Angel hadn't done anything to you, and he isn't dangerous, he has his soul."

Faith mulled that over.

"That makes sense, but maybe you could have told Giles."

"Giles suffered from Angel's dark side more than anyone, so everyone thought that was a bad move; he probably would've mounted up and tried to kill him."

"Giles is that badass?"

"You haven't seen Giles' nasty half yet. Trust me."

Faith was astonished.

"Damn."

"I suppose one could argue we were being arrogant in deciding for others, but it was necessary. Not only is Angel innocent of Angelus' crimes, but he endured hundreds of years of savage torment in Hell. I think the guy has suffered enough. He may have been gone for only a couple of months, but time moves differently in Hell."

"He went through all that with his soul back in him? Jesus Christ."

Athena nodded grimly.

Faith looked at Athena for a moment.

"Thanks for being upfront with me."

"No problem. I prefer being straightforward to all this keeping secrets shit."

That made Faith laugh.

"Come on, sounds like the catfight's winding down."

"One more question?"

"Shoot."

"You've been acting kinda blasé about Neil being…kidnapped. Why?"

"I've been acting that way to keep from breaking things and hurting people."

Faith gaped.

Athena looked down at her girlfriend. There was the promise of endless pain in her blue eyes.

The dark Slayer shivered.

"I'm going to torture Demona for whatever she did to my father, _slowly_."

An almost demonic smile passed across her face.

"Very…Slowly…"

Athena turned away and hobbled off, a frightened Faith following in her wake.

I wouldn't want to be in that bitch's friggin' shoes. Faith thought.

* * *

As Athena and Faith strolled back in, the combatants were now thoroughly separated by Neil's friends. Diana was restraining Buffy, Neptune was holding Xander, and Lilith was holding Giles, while Apollo had taken Cordelia's hand and led her away. Cordy didn't mind (surprise). Buffy, Xander, and Giles were seething, while Willow had tears in her eyes. Oz stood by Willow, offering his quiet support and comfort. Joyce and Dawn looked on, their faces inscrutable. Angel was now in a chair, Helen and Taryn tending to his injuries, as the battered vampire looked on, a sorrowful expression on his handsome face. The rest of Neil's friends were watching carefully, ready to intervene once more if required. Faith and Athena noticed Willow tearing up and walked over to her.

"Here Red." Faith said quietly, handing her a napkin out of her pocket. Willow took it, astonishment shining on her elfin features.

"It's going to be okay Willow." Athena said to the redhead.

That simple act of kindness shattered the spell.

"Please let me go." Giles said to Lilith politely.

"Only if you're assured me you've placed Ripper back into his receptacle, Rupert." Lilith replied just as politely.

"I have."

Lilith released him.

Giles took off his glasses slowly, polished them with exaggerated care, put them back on, and looked at Lilith. Her pale blue eyes regarded him coolly.

"You knew about Angel, of course?"

Lilith simply looked at him.

"Yeah dude, we did." Zeus remarked to Giles.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Willow asked, almost forcefully.

"What would you have done if we had? Shall I take a stab at it? Xander and Giles would have been running around trying to find and axe-murder Angel, Cordelia would have been attacking Buffy, Willow would have been defending Buffy, Oz would be Oz, Joyce and Dawn would be hiding under their beds when the sun set, and Faith probably would distanced yourself from your little gang because she would have felt betrayed. Then it would turn into what we just saw, a big ol' catfight sans Faith." Athena explained pointedly.

"Sounds right to me." Faith commented.

"It's like you know us. Oh wait…" Xander said somewhat (somewhat?) sarcastically.

Athena gave him a look and Xander shut up.

"Xander." Willow said to him, pleadingly.

"So you did this for our own good?" Giles said evenly.

"Yes. What would have been your course of action?" Lilith said to Giles.

Giles was silent for what seemed an eternity.

"Probably exactly the same." The Watcher admitted tiredly.

"Angel isn't dangerous. He has his soul. He was tortured for hundreds of years in Hell. Isn't that enough punishment? And it's not like Angel was responsible for any of what Angelus did." Helen said reasonably.

"No, he wasn't. I was." Buffy said sadly.

"Buffy, that's nonsense." Xander said.

"Buffy, you beat yourself up over that last year; it's not your fault." Willow said.

"Yes it is." Buffy replied.

"No it's not." Helen said.

"Hello? Buffy was the one who got all groiny with Angel." Cordelia said cattily.

"Was she the one who cast that ridiculous curse on Angel? No? Alright then. What kind of punishment has such a ridiculous loophole? It's like if an unreformed serial killer was in prison for life with no possibility of parole but they'll still grant his freedom if a certain and unavoidable set of circumstances occur? Everybody falls in love, were they really so stupid to think Angel would never fall in love in his long life and experience bliss? When you cast a serious magical curse on someone in the cause of revenge, you want it to last forever and be really hard to break, right? Right."

"Uh, so what are you saying?" Cordelia asked, perplexed.

"I'm saying none of you would have had to suffer so pointlessly if not for the stupid gypsies, if they hadn't been so self-absorbed and used such a moronic curse, none of what happened with Angelus last year would have happened, and all of you would have been a hell of lot happier. The point of the fucking curse should have been to keep Angelus contained, to make him suffer, not make Angel suffer." Helen replied.

"Okaay. I surrender! Switch to decaffeinated!" Cordelia said putting her hands up, a little overwhelmed by Helen's blunt logic.

"Good." Helen said unequivocally.

"Um, how do you-"Angel started.

"We'll tell you later." Taryn replied kindly in her soft voice.

"Right." Angel said.


	5. Chapter 4

As the others broke up and went their separate ways, Buffy walked up to Angel, Helen, and Taryn.

"Are you okay, Angel?" Buffy asked softly.

Angel gave her a wry look.

"Okay, stupid question, I guess I should have asked, "Are you going to live?" Well, exist?'

"Yeah, I think I'll uh, continue to "exist". How about you?"

"I've been better at some point in recent memory."

"I think we can all agree with that."

Angel suddenly winced.

"Sorry." Helen said.

"It's okay. The agonizing pain keeps me alert."

Buffy watched him, an unreadable expression on her face.

"I'll be okay Buffy, I promise. But a lot of others aren't. Those things are everywhere. Where did they all come from?"

"It has to be Demona's doing."

"Who?"

"The big scary redhead?"

"The big scary redhead who vanished into thin air with your date? I should have strung that two and two together."

"Did you-"

"No, but there's a bizarre green fleshy structure in Sunnydale's center now, if she's anywhere, I would bet she's there. And Neil too."

"She **made **a building?! Who is she, the Molecule Man?"

"She may as well be for all we know about her powers." Helen added.

Taryn and Helen stepped back and Apollo appeared with a brown coffee mug and offered it to Angel.

"Cow blood. Nice and hot." Apollo said.

"Thanks." Angel said earnestly.

He drank it in one gulp and handed the cup back.

Apollo and Taryn gently lifted Angel up and guided him upstairs to the room where Wesley was. Helen started moving toward the banquet hall when Buffy placed her hand on Helen's muscled bicep tenderly. Helen looked at her.

"For what you said, thanks."

"I only told the truth. No point being afraid of life."

Helen then took the blond Slayer completely by surprise.

Her lips gently brushed Buffy's cheek, causing the girl to freeze in shock, and then she walked off.

Buffy suddenly felt like her whole body tingled.

Oh boy. She thought.

As Buffy stared after Helen, she didn't notice Willow looking on with a very conspicuous frown.

* * *

Later after everyone had gathered in the banquet room, Ares had placed a large map of Sunnydale on the newly cleared banquet table and pointed at the central business area of town.

"This is where Demona's base is, right there by City Hall. It's like Angel said, a fleshy green structure, and twenty stories high at least. There are three entrances, the main one, and two other smaller entrances, one on top of the structure; we'll be going in that way, all bat-like. Buffy, I guess you, Faith, and anyone else who wants to go can try and sneak in through the other smaller entrance, it's on the other side from the main entrance and a couple of stories up, so you better take some climbing gear of some kind. They're both unguarded, which is obviously suspicious, so watch your asses. The main one is guarded, so be careful."

"Any more fleshy school art projects suddenly appear? And where did you get the big mappy?" Buffy asked Ares.

"Not so far, Buffy. And it was in that armory we were in, behind some bolt-action rifles. Anyhoo, guess she's putting all her eggs in one basket, interestingly. There's only one way to reach her castle, and that's sneaking past Sunnydale Station, almost to the freight terminal, then heading through downtown and going past Bison's Lodge. The battle has completely moved from the center of town into all the other areas except that area. She still might have patrols, so we need to proceed carefully. Once we get there, she's bound to have a lot of sentries that we need to get through. So as many of us as possible need to be on this mission, but spread out, which makes us harder to find and easier to take them out without them raising an alarm-"

Ares' cell phone suddenly vibrated and he took it out and answered it. He listened for a few moments, then said, "Thanks." and hung up.

"What happened?" Willow asked nervously.

"A stroke of good luck, Artemis and Hera style, they said a crowd of her creatures exited the building and moved with all possible speed towards the battle, so that's fewer for us to deal with."

"Radical." Faith commented approvingly.

"This may seem like a silly question." Joyce said, "But shouldn't we coordinate with the authorities? Join forces? That's what they do in movies."

"Unfortunately, we already tried. Part of our deal from that soul magic was knowing all the military and police frequencies, but no matter what we said or offered they blew us off, which wasn't surprising. To them, we're a bunch of dumb civilians, and they told us to stay out of their way, or else. We're on our own." Bellona explained.

"He has military radios down there?" Xander asked Bellona.

"Yep, he probably has Airwolf, Blue Thunder, and that nifty plane from Firefox somewhere down there if we looked hard enough."

"Without the military's aid, what exactly are we going to do once there?" Giles inquired.

Ares pulled out several bags and carefully set them on the table.

"What's in those?" Dawn asked curiously.

"Dynamite." Ares responded, and Giles', Joyce's, Dawn's and the teens' eyes widened.

"We're going to go in, kill Demona's guards, and capture her, and then rig this dynamite after we get the prisoners, including Neil out. If we have to physically disable Demona, then we'll do it and hope it doesn't injure Neil in any way. By hitting her from two sides we should succeed, especially since she's almost certainly playing general, but if we fail and manage to evade capture, we'll regroup at the freight terminal barring any changes in the battle or other unforeseen complications. There's always the possibility that she's anticipating an attack from us because of her scrying, so it's best if you treat this like an ambush waiting to happen. Any other questions?"

"Just one. What about the Mayor and Trick? Do you think they're still working with Demona?" Helen asked.

"I doubt it, Helen. She's wrecking Sunnydale just a bit too much. I imagine they're probably non-factors at this point."

Ares waited a moment, but no other questions were forthcoming.

"Okay. Let's mount up, grab your favorite weapons and respective ammo if needed, and move out."

"Who's staying and who's going anyway?" Xander asked.

"We're certainly going." Neptune said, indicating himself and all of Neil's other friends.

"The injured should definitely stay." Diana said directing this at Giles and Athena.

"Sorry Mom. I'm a big girl now. Besides, you'll need someone to guard the roof entrance so you can escape if things go bad, and that doesn't require much movement." Athena replied, picking up a semiautomatic carbine from the table and cocking it.

"And as prudent as it may be for me to stay, someone will need to watch the second-story entrance to make sure it's clear." Giles said.

"As you wish." Diana said.

"What about us?" Willow said.

"Yeah, I'm always ready to go get killed." Xander said.

"Still remember your military training?" Ares asked Xander.

"Sure."

Ares handed him a bag of dynamite and a cigarette lighter.

Xander gulped, but took the bag and lighter.

"Be careful with that, boy." Bellona said, somewhat harshly.

"Yes ma'am. This boy will be very careful." Xander replied nervously.

He cautiously shouldered the TNT.

As the others moved off, Xander and Willow looked at Cordelia and Oz.

Cordelia and Oz silently nodded.

As Giles picked up a crossbow, Buffy watched him in concern.

"You sure about this Giles?"

"I'm not going to let you face this alone, Buffy. And please don't knock me out to discourage me. I have a concussion."

"I promise. My fist shall cause you no more concussions."

"Thank you."

Buffy turned to look at her mother and kid sister.

"I think I'm staying here. Someone has to look after Dawn and that Wesley man from the Council. But I don't know about Angel…" Joyce said.

"He's perfectly safe, Mom. Promise. Have I ever lied to you?"

Joyce and Dawn glowered.

"Well, let's move on!" Buffy said fretfully.

And with that both groups ventured out, all alone in the night.

* * *

As the flock of bats approached the top of the structure, two other bats joined them.

* * *

"It's too quiet." Giles observed, as the two Slayers and the Scoobies approached the smaller back entrance, moving from ruined vehicle to ruined vehicle.

"I know, I don't like it, battle or no battle going on." Buffy remarked.

As the small group moved in, Giles took a concealed position in a damaged store, giving excellent concealment while affording a great view of Demona's building.

Buffy looked up toward the top of the structure, trying to see if Neil's friends had made it, when her cell vibrated. She opened it and listened.

"Okay. We're going in." Buffy closed it and said:

"They're in."

* * *

Landing on the structure's top, they metamorphosed back to human form and knelt down.

"There." Artemis said. She pointed at the entrance.

"Follow me. Low and quiet."

While they stealthily moved toward the entrance, distant explosions could be heard. They quickly covered the distance, reached the small entrance, and moved inside. A faint and sickly luminescence emanated from the walls of the corridor they found themselves in. Ares pulled out his phone, made a brief phone call, and then hung up.

"They're making their move. Let's go."

As they moved down the tunnel, they glanced back at Athena, who was guarding the entrance with her carbine. She nodded at them and they nodded back.

"Here we go." Artemis said.

They went.

* * *

Buffy, Faith, and the Scoobs (except Giles, of course) crept cautiously down a side tunnel they had discovered, which was fortunate, as the building was hardly deserted. They had managed to duck into it just in time to evade two of Demona's creatures who were skittering along the ceiling, their multiple eyes bobbing.

"Anybody else feel like we're moving into something's stomach?" Xander commented, grimacing.

"Eew! Don't say that Xand." Willow scolded.

"Focus guys." Buffy said.

"Think she'll be alright?" Faith whispered.

"I'm sure she'll be fine." Oz assured Faith.

"Yes, your lesbo biker girlfriend got the easy job." Cordelia muttered.

Faith just snorted at Cordelia, then paused.

"You hear that, B?"

Buffy paused and listened.

* * *

The monster stationed at the bend of the tunnel yawned, displaying its massive fangs, and then scratched one of its six legs with one of its four hands.

It never saw its killer, only felt the blade across its throat. Artemis lowered it to the floor of the tunnel and quickly carried it out of sight.

With that obstacle removed, they kept moving, scanning the area carefully. They glanced at each other as they went around the bend. That look spelled out quite clearly what they thought of the situation.

It's too easy.

It was too easy.

Intentionally.

* * *

"They're never ending!" Cordelia yelled.

The noise that Faith had heard proved to be hundreds of the skittering creatures of the same type they had just avoided coming up behind them, tracking them.

And now they were closing in, snapping with their sharp crab-like claws at the teens.

Buffy and Faith swung their weapons savagely and expertly, but for every one they killed, a hundred more skittered forward to take up their slack.

"Go! Run!" Buffy screamed at the Slayerettes.

"But what about you?!" Xander yelled.

"We can't leave you!" Willow cried.

"I'll be fine! GO NOW!" Buffy responded.

"Go Xander! Run! We can't help her! There's too damn many! Come on Hero Boy!" Cordelia yelled at him, pulling at his hand.

Willow and Xander departed reluctantly.

As the four Scoobies ran for their lives and emerged into an immense chamber, they were cut off by their welcoming committee, a small army of Demona's creatures. They grinned toothily, well those of them that had mouths that is.

The other Scoobs managed to skid to a halt, but Xander tripped over his own feet and dropped the bag of dynamite and his lighter fell from his pocket. It flicked on.

And lit one of the sticks that had spilled from the bag.

* * *

Can you say ambush?

Because that was exactly what Neil's friends found themselves in.

Two floors below where they had started, they had moved into an extra-large and tall corridor with numerous entrances lining the walls.

Before any of them could think, "Boy, this is a great spot for an ambu-"

Surprise! Not.

* * *

"Time to start backpedaling!" Xander yelled.

He and the other Scoobies ran out another exit, leaving the confused monsters behind.

One of them picked up the bag of TNT and stared at it.

It still didn't get it.

Ka-boom.

* * *

Giles was watching the main entrance carefully when he heard the low rumble of an explosion from within the structure. Before he could do anything else, he heard a low snarl.

Spinning quickly, he fired his crossbow and the bolt flew into the monstrosity's eye, slaying it instantly. It died with a shriek.

Hurriedly reloading, the Watcher heard a low hiss which surrounded him.

He looked up.

"Damn." Giles said anxiously.

* * *

The blast shook the whole building, nearly knocking Athena off her feet.

What the fuck? She thought.

Then she heard the sound of attempting to be sneaky footsteps moving on the roof toward the roof entrance.

* * *

Bellona smashed in one of the monster's heads with the butt of her weapon, and then shot another in one of its faces. It recoiled, hissing, before Zeus and Apollo blew nice gooey holes in it with their sawed-off shotguns. It faltered, and then collapsed to the pulsing floor.

"Come on!" Hera said, firing her weapon into the ungodly hordes assailing them, "Take this, motherfucker! Oh, you want some of this?! Fuck you!"

Then she ran out of ammo.

That didn't stop her. She started to kick the crap out of them with her empty gun.

Fighting back to back, Helen yelled:

"You getting a certain impression?!"

"Yeah! We're being fucking herded!" Ares yelled back.

"But to where?" Neptune yelled at both of them.

"To her." Lilith replied.

* * *

One of Demona's creatures peeked furtively around the roof entrance's corner, and saw…no one. It emitted a baffled snarl.

Waving the others behind it to follow it, they all piled into the hallway.

But it couldn't go very far with a bullet between the eyes.

Athena stepped into view.

"Aww. I'm sorry. Were you trying to surprise me?"

They screamed with rage and charged.

She snickered and started firing.

* * *

Decapitating one of their attackers with a swing of one of her immense axes, Taryn swung again with the other. With every swing, more heads rolled and limbs flew.

They were holding their own even as they were forced into an enormous chamber leading to Demona's immense throne room.

Until Demona herself hopped into the fray.

Well, to be more accurate she hovered above the fray, and used her powers to send them flying in all directions.

Landing elegantly by Zeus, she casually knocked him unconscious. Her monsters swarmed over him.

Then they were unswarmed by Apollo's elephant gun blowing them apart.

Standing over his defenseless boyfriend, Apollo reloaded his gun and unloaded it into the approaching Demona.

No effect.

With a gesture, she disarmed him, and then threw him across the room into the wall with another gesture.

He twisted in mid-air so his broad back took the impact and landed on his feet before Demona was all over him, kicking and punching. He parried and gave as good as he got, but she was _fast._ She landed three blows to his one, until she had battered him to his knees with her superior speed, toughness, and strength. Smirking, she hit him in his handsome face repeatedly until it was a mask of blood, and then cast an electrical bolt at him at point-blank range. Apollo was tossed violently to the floor. Unconscious and jerking fiercely from the massive voltage he had endured, he finally lay still, smoking.

Standing over him triumphantly, she felt rather than saw the gun butt slamming into the back of her head. Staggering forward, she spun around with a roundhouse kick, shattering the gun in Bellona's hands. That left her open for a Bellona right cross sending her to the ground, but she swiftly sprung to her feet.

"Do you think you are strong, child?" Demona said mockingly.

Bellona didn't waste energy trading insults. She continued trying to take Demona's head off. But for every powerful blow she landed, she missed several as Demona moved with blinding grace and struck with precise deadly fury, forcing Bellona to punch and kick herself out while she struck Bellona's body again and again with terrifying and agonizing force.

Soon, Bellona was stumbling, one of her eyes swollen closed, her lips a pasty smear, and her eight-pack abs battered and beaten. Demona suddenly lashed out with a front kick to the jaw. Bellona swayed back, and then fell forward into Demona's receiving arms. Overpowering her easily, she bear-hugged the smaller woman off her feet, imprisoning her arms, and squeezed the struggling woman until her rib cage literally collapsed and blood flew from her mouth and she went limp.

"Good night…little girl…" Demona sang softly.

Then she let Bellona fall to the ground and smiled with satisfaction.

Suddenly looking to her left, she saw Hera running towards her in full vamp-face and with a vampiric growl launching herself at her.

Chuckling, she sidestepped but was taken by surprise when the smaller woman double-stepped and speared her to the ground, football style. She sat on Demona's chest and buried her fist in her face again and again.

Angered, she caught Hera's last punch and tossed her off her and jumped up only to be kicked in the face. She caught Hera's ankle, twisted it, and then brought her elbow down upon the back of Hera's knee. There was a tearing sound and Hera gritted her teeth as she fell to the ground.

"Come on." Demona almost growled, making a come-hither gesture with both her hands at Hera.

Ignoring the ripping agony, Hera staggered to her feet and came right at her, even though one of her legs was nearly useless. She swung violently and had her fist caught. Demona twisted her arm violently, breaking it, before seizing her around the throat with one hand, contemptuously slapping her brutally across the face with her other hand, breaking Hera's nose with an audible crunch, and lifting her stubbornly fighting form into the air, strangling her.

"Not so easy this time, is it, little one?"

Hera's response was to punch her in the face with all her might, but Demona shook it off and chuckled.

"Mmm. Feisty."

She increased the pressure until Hera's white eyes rolled up into her head and her resistance had ceased.

Dropping her, she looked around and saw Ares glaring at her and then staring at the fallen Hera in horror.

"HERA!" Ares screamed in anguish.

Rage fueling his actions, he cut a bloody swath through his almost demonic foes to reach his girlfriend, but in the end there were simply too many. One slashed his side, and another bit into his shoulder. He went down fighting.

Smiling, Demona surveyed the battle, and then frowned.

You're doing too well, my dear.

* * *

Diana was like a whirlwind, with a sword in one hand and an axe in the other, slaughtering opponent after opponent as she danced her dance of death. The monsters shrank back in growing fear as she stabbed, slashed, and hacked them apart. Their body parts flew everywhere.

And then the whirlwind was halted as Diana faced Demona who uppercutted the surprised raven-haired woman in the jaw with every bit of her massive speed and strength, smashing her twenty feet into the air and into the wall. She slid down bonelessly and slumped to the floor.

With a depreciatory glance, she turned away from her fallen victim only to jerk her head away in time before Artemis's arrow buried itself in her eye. She looked at Artemis with satanic fury, her cold, dead eyes glittering like a serpent.

Artemis took aim once again, but one of the monsters swung its claws through her bow, cleaving it in two. Without missing a beat, Artemis snatched the arrow that fell from her now useless bow and stabbed the monster that ruined her shot. A low gurgling came from its throat and it fell backwards into the crowd of its fellows. They turned on the wounded creature and began ripping it to pieces as Artemis simply flipped over them and drawing two swords began slashing at Demona with blinding speed. For all her swiftness, Demona found herself hard-pressed. She couldn't summon the concentration to use her powers, and her every physical attack was parried.

Neptune and Helen struggled to reach Artemis and their fallen friends, but more and more of Demona's soldiers emerged. They found themselves being dragged down by the sheer weight of numbers.

Ten of the monsters encircled Neptune and beat him ferociously about the head and shoulders. He fought as long as he could, taking a few with him before they took him down.

"Neptune! Damn it! Son of a bitch! You fucking sons of bitches!" Helen cried as she was forced to the ground, kicking and punching to the end. One punch shattered a monster's jaw; a vicious kick punctured another's lung. But it ultimately proved futile. She was done.

Demona felt her legs swept under her, and as she plummeted to the ground, Artemis drove both blades toward her throat.

In sheer instinctive desperation, she lashed out with a telekinetic burst which snapped the swords hurtling towards her exposed throat back toward Artemis shoving them through her stomach and sending her into the far wall, where she hung there, ten feet up, kept there by the swords impaling her stomach. She slumped forward, no longer a threat.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Demona arose and said:

"That was a close one my love."

"Not close enough, I believe."

Demona froze at the sound of that cool voice.

The voice of her captor.

The voice of her tormentor.

The voice…of Lilith.

She turned to face her. On the other side from them, Taryn cleaved through her disgusting and formidable nemeses like Jason Voorhees sliced through helpless camp counselors and campers. And with just as much change in expression.

As Lilith moved towards Demona, one of Demona's largest and most terrifying creatures inserted itself into her path, fanged tentacles whipping, mouths drooling and snapping, barbed arms thrusting in and out. It roared, the sound echoing through the chamber.

Lilith calmly ripped its throat out without changing stride. It went splat.

Demona snorted and then smiled grimly.

The monsters backed away from Lilith.

Lilith…smiled.

That terrible smile.

* * *

"How do you think they're doing? It's been too quiet." Dawn asked her mother.

Joyce looked at her youngest.

"I don't know, honestly. Well I hope."

Making their way toward the bedrooms where Angel and Wesley were, they heard the sound of voices.

Hurrying to the entrance they found Wesley and Angel conversing. They looked at Joyce and Dawn as they entered.

"Hello." Wesley said. "May I ask who you two fine ladies are?"

Joyce smiled, charmed by Wesley's English manners.

"I'm Buffy's mother, and this is my younger daughter Dawn."

"I'm Wesley Wyndham-Price. How very nice to meet you. Meeting the mother of a Slayer. Quite an honor. It brings a tear to my eye." He took out a handkerchief and dabbed daintily at his eye.

Angel and Dawn raised their eyebrows at him. Joyce's smile grew broader, amused.

"I'm Buffy's little sister. Lucky me. By the way, you're conversing with a vampire." Dawn said casually.

Giving a little yelp, Wesley bounced away from Angel and fumbled for a cross.

"You won't need that Mr Pryce. He has a soul." Joyce assured him.

"Oh. You must be Angel." He stiffened his stance so it reminded one of a peacock.

"Always keep your cool in any situation. By the way, Mr Angel, weren't you-?" Wesley began.

And then an alarm sounded, ringing through the castle.

It was coming from outside.

They all looked at each other, and raced with all possible speed to the barred window in the bedroom they were in and looked out and down and around.

Some of Demona's monsters were climbing over the wall. A multitude.

"Oh dear!" Wesley squealed.

"Oh my god." Dawn whispered.

"What are we going to do?!" Joyce said, terrified.

Angel looked on grimly.

Then something on the ground caught his attention.

"Looks like we might have some help."

The other three looked where Angel was looking.

There were shadowy shapes erupting from the ground. Hundreds of them. They turned to face the invaders.

"Dear god…" Wesley breathed.

* * *

Demona and Lilith stared each other down.

"Are you and your little girlfriend prepared precious Lilith?"

"Prepared for more of your wretched bluster and pomposity?"

Demona growled in annoyance, and then smirked with an unpleasant leer.

"I made him scream before I took him." Demona taunted in a casual voice. "He begged. I made him beg. For you. Please, Lilith, help me!" Demona imitated Neil's voice with utmost perfection as she uttered that last line.

"Did you?"

That rattled Demona a little. She obviously didn't expect that reaction.

Lilith's eyes regarded her so…coldly.

Demona gritted her teeth.

"Do you think I fear you, little child?"

Lilith said nothing. She just watched with those shark-like eyes.

There was silence for what seemed an eternity. Demona's nerve finally broke.

"Respond to me, damn you!"

Nothing. Calm and cold.

"You have no advantage over me! I hold EVERY advantage. I fear nothing, least of all you!"

"Do you?"

Demona's jaw tightened.

"I will torture you to death." Demona responded callously.

"I may take pleasure in that. But please, you must go first."

Both of Demona's fists tightened.

"I am going to murder you. And I do not get pleasure from a hurried demise."

"Perhaps you will. But I'll be waiting for you."

"Wh-what?" Demona stammered.

"In Hell. They are so eager to get their hooks into such a naughty girl. And when you cast your pitiful gaze about…" Lilith let that hang in the air.

Demona was starting to sweat.

Lilith laughed softly. It sent a chill down Demona's spine.

She completely and utterly flipped out.

"**DIE!!!** **DIE!!! DIE!!!**"

Demona lunged, with the promise of Death in her dead eyes.

Demona snapped kicks and punches with incredible skill and grace, her technique was flawless, her aim unerring. Her strength and speed without comparison or equal.

But Lilith batted her away like an incompetent child.

She wasn't Demona physical superior. Or her superior in skill.

She didn't need to be.

She was in Demona's head.

She knew Demona's moves.

She was always five moves ahead.

Demona seized Lilith's arm, attempting to snap it.

She found herself on the ground with Lilith's boot coming at her head **FAST**.

Rolling away barely in time, she jumped up with a spinning roundhouse kick. But Lilith wasn't where she was supposed to be.

She had moved inside the kick and delivered a palm strike to her stomach. Before she grasped what happened, she was smashing into a crowd of her monsters.

Getting up slowly, her creatures fleeing from her, crimson energy crackling around her as she seethed. Lilith was making her look like a fool!

Focusing her power, she hurled energy attack after energy attack, whipping and pulsing around the room.

Lilith anticipated her every movement.

Demona screamed in a damned rage.

Then Taryn broke through and moved toward Demona, axes raised.

Slyly, Demona fired a bolt at the oncoming Taryn.

That distracted Lilith.

She couldn't escape the next bolt.

Lilith fell.

Smirking, she turned to Taryn, the last one standing.

And was nearly beheaded.

Taryn was faster than she looked and in a chopping fury.

Demona weaved around the blonde's determined assault and nailed her hard in the face.

Taryn sneered. Demona feinted and popped off another punch.

And almost got her hand sliced open.

Demona seized both of Taryn's axes by the handles with her greater speed and Taryn calmly kicked her where no woman should_ ever_ be kicked.

Faltering, she suddenly sprang backward, Taryn's axe blade missing her skull by the slightest of inches.

Time to use my advantage. She's too determined. Demona thought.

Demona stood over the defeated Lilith.

She pointed her finger at Lilith and energy cackled around it. A beam jutted forward and stopped mere millimeters from Lilith's head.

"Stop." Demona said to Taryn.

Taryn halted, axes at the ready.

"Surrender, if you please my wonderful, tiny, Taryn, or the sadistic bitch dies. They all…die. _**Horribly**_."

There was a Mexican Standoff for a few moments.

Taryn opened her hands and dropped her weapons.

"Take her. And hold her firmly."

Reluctantly, they seized the stoutly muscled, soft-spoken blonde who had slain so many of their loathsome numbers. Demona indicated Lilith and the others and they gathered them up and brought them along.

Demona got into Taryn's face. Taryn didn't even flinch.

"I would beat you to death, but I have something better in mind." Demona sneered at her, and then smiled.

She turned away, before suddenly spinning with a closed backhand across Taryn's face with all her might.

It snapped her head to the side.

Taryn turned her head to the other side, calmly spat out blood, and faced Demona again.

Demona chuckled sadistically.

"Is that it? Is that all you've got? Wimp." Taryn commented, straight-faced.

Demona scowled, then turned away again and walked off this time.

As she strode arrogantly past Helen, Helen broke free from her captors and lunged, but they quickly recaptured her and pulled her back. Demona paused and gave her a lascivious look, then winked.

Helen spat at her feet, which only made Demona grin broadly.

"Bring them."

"In one piece."


	6. Chapter 5

Settling comfortably on her throne, she regarded her kneeling captives smugly.

Nearly all of them were unconscious and severely injured, with the exception of Taryn, Helen, and Giles.

Demona's eyes flicked to one of her throne room's entrances, and the three still conscious looked that way.

And their eyes widened in dismay.

Buffy, Faith, and the Scoobies, literally covered with cuts and bruises, were brought in and cast roughly to the floor. They were reseized and made to face their grinning captor also in a kneeling position.

Buffy, the only one of her group awake, regarded the scene of devastation, of their complete defeat, and then looked at Demona.

"You thought you were so formidable, didn't you? Such a…small joke."

Demona rose from her throne and walked down to them with all her assumed royalty. She stood over them menacingly.

"Can you guess what will transpire to you now?"

"You'll bore us with long-winded speeches?" Buffy sniped cattily.

Demona kicked Buffy in the face. Buffy spat out blood and teeth.

And looked back up at her.

"Have you any other colorful comments that you wish to share?" Demona said, smirking.

"Bite me."

"Charming. Perhaps later."

Striding off, Buffy's next caustic comment made Demona freeze in her tracks.

"Loser."

Demona's head whipped around so fast you would think her heavily muscled neck would snap.

Then she smiled.

And raised her shirt to reveal her well-muscled stomach.

They could see Neil's face beneath the skin.

His face was contorted in agony.

Buffy, Helen, Giles, and Taryn looked on in increasing horror.

"Good lord…" Giles said, his voice dripping revulsion.

"What the fuck did you do to him?" Helen whispered.

"Something along the same lines that I will do to you, sweet Helen."

"I'm going to rip your throat out, you evil cunt."

"Now now. Keep your words sweet."

"Fuck you."

"What Helen said." Buffy remarked.

Smirking, Demona looked at Buffy.

"Don't worry, Elizabeth, you'll be reunited with your boyfriend so very soon." Demona said with mock-sympathy.

"Got any other lame head games?" Buffy taunted.

"So defiant. Even at the end."

"I'm coming for you." Buffy stated simply.

Demona just smirked malevolently.

"You can do whatever you want to me, but when you touched him…"

Demona and Buffy locked eyes for a moment, and then Demona looked away.

"Of cours-AAARRRGGGHHH!!!!!!"

The four conscious ones stared in shock.

Demona had a crossbow bolt sticking out of her ear canal. It was literally lodged where her brain should be. She grabbed it and pulled it out, and almost screeched with agony.

Demona glared in the direction from where the bolt must have come.

Athena emerged from the shadows, a mini-crossbow in hand with another bolt nocked. Demona's guards quickly surrounded her and awaited their mistress' orders.

She was met with disbelieving stares.

"Why come for her tomorrow when you can come for her today?" Athena smirked.

"It's unfortunate that Neil made me miss, wouldn't you think? Because now your agony will be prolonged."

"Now don't sweet-talk me. Make a girl blush."

Demona frowned, irritated.

"I believe you have been hanging with your role model too long."

"Joanie Laurer?"

She became even more exasperated.

Then she acquired a sly look.

"Oh Athena, I love you so much. Why didn't you help me? Why are you such a useless fuck-u-"Demona started in Neil's voice before she was interrupted.

"Oh Neil, I love you baby. My, you're so big! Please take me up the ass more often!" Athena said doing a good imitation of Demona's voice.

"Please Neil, buy me a valentine card!" Buffy said, picking it up.

"And walk me along the beach! Ooh!"

"And totally buy me this ring and marry my skanky evil rotten ass!"

"And give me ten brats so I can breast-feed each one with my fake droopy boobies! OH BABY!!!"

"SILENCE!!!!"

"Did they jab the wrong button?" Taryn said smugly. Athena and Buffy shared a victorious look.

Making a show of ignoring Taryn, Demona breathed in and out, regaining her composure, and then glared at Athena.

"Drop the crossbow, or I kill them."

"Alrighty."

She lowered it, then without warning casually shot one of Demona's creatures in the kneecap before dropping it. It fell down, screeching.

Demona stared at Athena for a long moment and then at Buffy, fuming, and finally smiled with aplomb.

"I suppose all of you have annoyed me enough that I will prolong the pain. I will send you to a world where I dominate completely. Where you have no allies and no hope."

She opened her mouth and darkness emerged. Her creatures retreated from it.

As it swallowed them up, they vanished, one by one.

Demona paused and withdraw the shadows before it reached Athena. She approached the shorter woman carefully and smiled down at her seductively.

"I've got a proposition for you."

"I'm listening."

"Of all of them, you are closest to me. I can feel the evil within you, black and bubbling. Join me, and you will never be separated from your beloved Neil. He will be ours for all eternity." Demona said as she circled Athena, smiling all the while like the Cheshire Cat.

Demona paused in front of her.

"Embrace who you truly are. Embrace_** me**_."

"You really need to work on your recruitment speech."

Demona hissed and struck Athena across the face.

Athena chuckled, and stared into Demona's eyes.

"Poor little child, unwilling to accept her true nature. Her darker half."

"Neil's dark side, huh?" Athena said easily.

Demona gave a mocking little curtsey.

"You're nothing but a shadow. Ooh, irony!"

Demona just stared at her, and then spat darkness at her.

"You should have taken the pact."

Athena got the last word in.

"Watch out for that whistling." Athena said before she vanished.

After they were gone, Demona sighed with contentment.

"Blissful silence at last."

Then she looked contemplative.

"Whistling-?"

Suddenly she heard a high-pitched whistling sound…

…just before heavy artillery shells slammed into her HQ.

* * *

Light. Darkness. A tearing sensation. You want to scream, but you can't. You have no throat. You have no tongue. You have no flesh. Stretched beyond imagining.

Something beckons…

And then it's over.

You awaken.


	7. Epilogue

Buffy snapped awake.

She got up unsteadily, before pitching forward and falling into Helen's powerful arms.

"Stupid question, undoubtedly, but are you okay?"

"S-sure, except for the Twilight Zone Magic Carpet Ride. Where are we?"

"Well, we're on a very tall mountain in what seems to be the middle of the night, but we're definitely not on Earth."

"How do you know?"

Helen pointed at the sky.

Buffy looked up.

"What the hell is that?" Artemis asked no one in particular, ignoring her nasty sword wounds even as Diana supported her.

"I confess I can't tell." Giles said.

"That" was something with electricity crackling around it, in the shadowy and crimson murky sky, if it could be called a sky, as it was pulsating regularly, and it seemed almost… fleshy.

"Take a look at this fucking sky." Athena said.

"I'm lookin'. I'm lookin'. " Faith said, disbelieving.

"Oh… god." Buffy whispered.

"Buffy?" Giles asked her.

"I dreamed this…"

"Well, great! A little warning might have been nice!" Cordelia snapped.

"See that cliff? I'm going to push you off it if you don't shut up!" Hera snapped at the cheerleader.

"Hera, come on babe." Ares said soothingly, grimacing from his wounds.

"Let's go over here now, Cordy." Xander advised.

The irritable girlfriends were steered away by their encouraging boyfriends, Ares carrying the badly injured Hera. For her part, Buffy didn't even notice the exchange, simply staring in wonderment.

The blonde Slayer looked down at the blood-red soil, then across the desolate landscape. A loud peal of thunder rolled ominously through the bloody heavens.

"Oh great." Willow moaned. She walked over to her friend.

"This is the place from your dream?" Giles asked his Slayer.

"Big time Giles." Buffy responded softly.

"I don't think you described it enough. It's so…" Willow began.

"Freaky?" Xander offered as he stood beside them, Cordelia and Oz in tow.

"That'll work." Willow acknowledged.

Buffy looked at Helen.

"I think I can stand. Just felt a little woozy."

Helen released her and stepped back.

"We all were when we awoke, so no shock there."

Helen walked away and stood beside Neptune, speaking to her hurt boyfriend.

"All of us?" Buffy asked.

"Yep. Very unconsciousy." Willow confirmed.

"Bellona is beckoning to everyone." Giles put in.

They all quickly rejoined Neil's friends and listened as Bellona spoke.

"Something's coming. Hear it?" Bellona explained, holding her broken ribs and leaning on Zeus for support.

Everyone listened hard.

"It sounds like, "ep?" Helen said.

"That's the silly noise." Buffy confirmed.

"It's gettin' even closer." Faith said.

"Perhaps we should take cover? We are weaponless." Giles commented.

"No cover to be had." Taryn replied, holding Lilith protectively and looking around, shooting the Watcher's idea down in brilliant flames.

"It's here." Apollo said shortly through his burnt lips, leaning on Zeus as well.

They all saw the shadowy silhouette just before it emerged into the light.

And bore witness to the most astonishing creature they had ever come across.

"What the F-FUCK is that?" Faith stammered.

It looked at all of them with sweeps of its long neck, and made a different noise, one of puzzlement.

"Eh?"

**To be continued**…

(Roll End Credits Here)


End file.
